Pledge of Allegiance and my new version of the Pledge

Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

Justice – the principle of ideal or moral rightness. The upholding of what is right, fairness.

Liberty – the state of being free, freedom. Permission, authorization.

Indivisible – not able to be divided

Republic – a political order whose head of state is not a monarch but a president. A political order in which the power is held by the elected representatives or citizens.

Power – strength, force, might, forceful impact, the authority or ability to control others.

Are we a free nation? Do we have freedom? Do we have liberty for all? Is there justice for all in the United States of America? Are we one nation under God?

Tax – a payment imposed upon persons or groups for governmental support. A heavy demand. Restraint to exercise or make demands on. To make a charge against, accuse.

Are we free to choose whether or not we would like to participate in the paying of taxes to support the government? Look at these words under the definition of tax.

You decide!

Do we have liberty and justice for All?

All - The total entity or extent of, the utmost possible. Every, any whatsoever. Each and every. Nothing but, only. Every way to any extent.

Is America the land of the free or home of the brave or are we slaves to a tyrannical government.

Tyrannical – of, relating to or characteristic of a tyrant, despotic.

Tyrant – an absolute ruler, an unjust, oppressive or cruel one. Someone who exercises power, control or authority unfairly and harshly.

Despotic – an absolute ruler. A person who wields power oppressively.

Oppressive – to persecute or subjugate by force. To weigh heavily upon.

Is our government fair in how it metes out justice?

Fair – impartial, just.

Are they? Absolutely NOT!

Impartial – not partial, unbiased.

Partial – according preference or favor to one side or person over another, biased.

Biased – an inclination or preference that interferes with impartial judgment, prejudice, to cause or have a prejudicial view.

Prejudice – a bias for or against something or someone formed without sufficient basis. Irrational intolerance of or hostility towards members of a certain race, religion or group. Detriment especially to one’s legal rights.

Detriment – damage, injury or loss. Something that causes damage, injury or loss.

Serf – a medieval European peasant who was owned by a Lord and bound to the land.

Are we ever free of government intervention?

Can we ever own our own home?

Or, do we have to pay the King (government) tax on the land even when the home is paid for?

YES!

King – a man who is a monarch, the most powerful or eminent as of a group or place.

Kingdom – a land ruled by a king or queen. An area in which one thing dominate.

Monarch – one of great power or sovereign position.

Sovereign – supreme in power or rank. The head of a state of monarchy.

Monarchy – government by monarch, a state or nation ruled by a monarch.

Do we have the choice (free will) to pay or not to pay tax?

If the answer to that is NO! Then we are not free!

We do not have freedom!

We do not have liberty!

There is no justice!

We are not under God!

For who is God? A being worshipped by monotheists (one God) as the perfect, omnipotent (all powerful) omniscient originator and ruler of the universe.

Monotheist – the belief or doctrine that there is only one God.

Omnipotent – having absolute power and authority.

Omniscient – knowing everything.

Are we a republic, one nation under God?

Under – location below or belief, subordination in rank or importance. Degree, rate or quantity that is lower or less than normal. Lower than below. Less, smaller or lower than. Subject to control or authority, bound by or obligated by, subject to.

Are we really one nation under God?

Absolutely not!

The laws of this land are made by man!

Not by God!

Men who live in darkness who don’t even know God, obey him, live in accordance to his will or walk in the light of Jesus.

Men, who judge, destroy, persecute, create pain, hardship, division, dissention, who exercises power, authority, rule, injustice tax, impose laws and regulations for profit, gain, not to protect and serve.

Suffice it to say our government, its policies and practices, procedures, laws, regulations and taxes is not of God, made by God or endorsed by God.

It is evil, dark, Satan in disguise.

We have no freedom, no liberty, we do not live under God, this is not a republic, we are divided – one against another thanks to attorneys and others.

There is no justice; justice is not meted out judiciously or fairly.

Our justice system pits fathers against their wives, children, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and mothers the same and children the same and each and every one of the same.

Where is the justice in that?

I think anyone in America would like to take their freedom back, live under God, have their civil liberties restored, have a choice in taxation, own their own property when their house is paid for.

We no longer desire to be slaves (serfs) under control of a tyrant (monarch) that continually oppresses us, lays heavy demands upon us, creates pain, misery and suffering.

Our government is out of control and we have to live with it and find peace, happiness and joy in it.

Today is Independence Day, July 4^th. Today we celebrate our independence from the tyrannical rule of the monarch of England. Men and who of our country fought for the freedom, the liberty from the heavy tax and burden imposed upon them from the King of England.

On December 16, 1773 we had the Boston Tea Party and the purpose of that uprising, the throwing of tea imported from England into the Boston harbor was to demonstrate our founding fathers’ unwillingness to pay the heavy tax on tea that was levied by the King of England. Their act of defiance led to a war between the people of the United States and England of which the men and women successfully fought and won their freedom from the King of England. They fought over freedom of tax, freedom of the absolute power and authority of a central figure, they fought for their civil liberty and they won!

Are we any different today?

Have things changed for the better?

Or for the worse?

Do we have a ruler (king)? – Yes we do! Although we call that ruler a President.

Does our ruler have a military to enforce the rules regulations and tax imposed by the king?

Yes we do!

They are called our government officials including the military, our public officials, our police force; the three branches of government. All have been created to usurp the power of the people and put it back in the hands of the king who rules over his land.

Usurp – to seize and hold illegally and by force.

We had a fight of freedom, liberty, life under God, justice for all.

All that has been usurped or taken away from us illegally and by force.

We are owned (slaves, serfs) by the king and are forced by the threat of imprisonment to pay taxes to the king.

In fact if we don’t pay taxes to the king on our land even though we own our home, the king can seize our home by force, confiscate it, throw us in prison or out in the street and claim it as their own to do with what they like.

Is that freedom?

Is that liberty?

Is that fair?

Is that justice?

Is that under God?

Is that what God would do?

No way!

Our good Lord wants us all to live in peace and harmony, not divisiveness and inequity.

A tithe offering was given to the priest to be housed in the store house of the needs of all who were in need, to build up the church and to pay those who labored for the Lord. Even though they had kings and rulers at that time, they did not levy them with a tax so burdensome that the people rebelled and caused uprising and civil or uncivil disobedience.

Should we be celebrating our independence from England?

Yes.

July 4^th is also a reminder that although we gained our independence from England we still live under the same rules, regulations and laws, only the names, practices and procedures have changed.

Nothing has changed once from my perspective, things in America is much, much, much worse today than under the rule of the King of England.

Freedom, liberty, justice for all, not any more.

As for me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord.

  

Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to my Lord, the omniscient, the omnipotent, the originator and ruler of the entire universe and in his son, Jesus Christ, a living sacrifice for the redemption of sin of all mankind who is the absolute truth life and light of the universe and through his mercy and grace I have been given Eternal life.

I do not pledge allegiance to man but to my Father in Heaven, through him all things were made and just by believing in the name of his son Jesus Christ; I have been given through his grace and mercy eternal life.

Freely I have been given freely I choose to give.

Several pages ago I said if you have to pay for it, whatever it is, it is not from God. What I was referring to had to do with the church and the ministry of the church.

The Lord freely gave us his son to die on the cross for the redemption of our sins, he freely gave us mercy, grace and forgiveness, what the Lord gives us is free.

What man gives us cost or has a price tag associated with it, the last thing our Lord gave us was free will.

The freedom to choose, to discern for our self whom we will serve, our Lord or man.

There is hope from a tyrannical government; the hope is in our Lord. We do have to live in this world, we must obey the rules and regulations set forth by man.

Matthew 22:21 – give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.

We are God’s children, he created us and made us in his likeness, his spirit dwells with in us, and we need to give our self over to God.

We need to pay Caesar what is Caesar’s – money and give God what is God’s, our self.

We live in this world; however, we are not of this world.

Have faith my friend, don’t lose hope, and help lives with in you.

Kneel down and pray to the Lord accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and he will send the comforter.

The light of life lies within you for the asking, you and only you are in control over your own immortal and eternal destiny.

Living with unbelievers in an unjust society is a test of faith.

Heavenly Father knows that sin abounds in our society, he asks us to have faith and believe in him, do not doubt, do not worry, do not be critical or negative, don’t complain, stay positive, everything will work out in the end.

Our reward waits for us in heaven.

With unbelief all around us we must remain strong and not get distracted or caught up in the evils of the world. We must remain focused with an eye single to his glory.

1 Corinthians 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, may the entire honor and glory be yours.

Thank you my Heavenly Father for the guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit.

I choose to have faith and believe in the name of your son Lord Jesus.

Watch over my family today, bring to them peace, happiness, joy, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Blessed be your name, now and forever.

Amen

End your battle with your partner every time by saying this phrase

A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, rather than try to win every argument with your dazzling debate skills, there’s a better way out for both of you. Just say the phrase, "I see where you're coming from."

To come up with this gem, reseracher's asked real couples to discuss hot-button issues in a lab setting. Regardless of what they were bickering about (or who won), people who felt that their partner understood their point of view actually felt happier with their relationship overall, the study reported.

Luckily, there are a few specific phrases you can add to your arsenal to reap the bonding benefits. Saying something like, “I can see where you’re coming from,” or, “I get that,” communicates to your partner that even if you don’t agree, you don’t think they’re crazy.

I see where you are coming from, is the best phrase to use to resolve an argument because it does two things: It demonstrates you are listening to the other person and it validates their perspective.

In other words, it neutralizes the blame game and lets your partner know you're actually listening to what they're saying (and not just brainstorming witty rebuttals). Most of the time it is holding on too tight to our perspective of things that keeps us in tension with another, If we are open to another's perspective then it becomes a discussion, not an argument.

Fasting, Prayer, Obedience and Addiction

Fasting, Prayer, Obedience and Addiction

Today is fast Sunday in the Church. The Church has designated for all of us to abstain from good and drink for a period of 24 hours.

I just realized why we are abstaining from all food and drinks when we fast.

John 6:35 Jesus declared, I am the bread (food) of life, he who comes to me will never be hungry and he who believes in me will never go thirsty. In Deuteronomy 8:3 Man does not live on bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. In Isaiah 55:7 we read why spend your money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy. Listen, listen to me and eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. In Matthew 4:4 it reads Man does not live on bread alone, but in every word that comes from the mouth of God. In the Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:9-13 verse 11 we pray, give us this day our daily bread.

The Lords last supper

I Corinthians 11:23-26 reads this way. For I received from the Lord what I passed on to you. The Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said “This is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me. In the same way after supper he took the cup saying, this is the cup of the new covenant, in my blood do this whenever you drink it. In remembrance of me.”

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim to lords death until he comes.

Jesus has declared to us in John 6:35 that he is the bread of life and he who comes to him will never be hungry and never go thirsty.

When we fast we are giving up, abstaining, both food and drink which man needs to sustain himself.

What does it mean to…?

Abstain – to refrain from something voluntarily.

Abstinence – denial of the appetites.

Sustain – to hold up support, to keep up, maintain. To supply with nourishment. To withstand, endure. To support the spirits, courage or resolution of.

Sustenance – something that nourishes food. Something that sustains strengthens or supports.

We are asked to abstain from both food and drink for 24 hours.

However we see from the scriptures that Jesus Christ will sustain us, he will support and maintain us. He will be our nourishment. We can find nourishment in his word.

John 1:1 we see that in the beginning was the word (Jesus) and the word was with God and the word was God. In John 1:14 the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

The word is Jesus, when we fast we are to feast on his word.

Feast – to eat healthy or with pleasure. To provide with pleasure, delight.

Instead of eating food made my man, we are called to eat the bread of life or Jesus and since we know Jesus is the word, we can feast on word of the bible, or continually be in prayer.

Fast – to eat sparingly or abstain from all certain foods.

What do the scriptures tell us about fasting?

Deuteronomy 13:4 – It is the Lord you God you must follow and him you must revere. keep his commandments and obey him, serve him and hold fast to him.

Fast in this context is;

Fast – quickly, rapidly, and swiftly. Securely fixed or fastened. Tightly shut or secure. Constant and loyal.

I find the use of the word fast here very interesting, it does not indicate we should hold slowly to the Lord which is the opposite of fast; we are to come quickly to the Lord, keep his commandments, obey him and serve him.

Heavenly Father has requested – commanded us to fast and pray so that we may learn to develop faith in his son Jesus Christ and obedience to his commands.

His son Jesus Christ is all the bread and water we need to sustain us.

We are all under the false impression that we need food and water to sustain is each and every day.

Matthew 4:1-11 – verse two says he (Jesus) fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The Lord knows our need for food and drink.

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

John 6:27 – Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give you.

We are not called to fast as Jesus did we are to fast as a witness to our faith in Jesus Christ that we believe in him as the bread of life, that we have faith that through his word he will sustain us and because of his word we follow him in obedience.

Matthew 6:16-18 – he calls us to not be obvious to men that we are fasting but only to our father who is unseen, and your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

In other words, when we fast let our fasting is between our self and the Lord.

We are not fasting to show others how faithful we are, to receive their praise or to have others think more highly of us.

We are called to fast and to not let anyone know we are fasting so that our fast is done for the Lord and not for men.

Fasting is not for the purpose of dieting.

Diet – did you ever notice the word die is in the word diet?

Diet – food or drink usually or habitually consumed; a regulated selection of food. Something taken or provided regularly. To eat or cause to eat according to a prescribe regiment.

Diet then is food or drink that is habitually consumed.

Habit – an often involuntary pattern of behavior acquired be frequent repetition. Usual practice or manner. An addiction.

Habitual – practiced by or acting or according to habit. Persisting in an ingrained habit.

When we look at the words diet, habit and habitual it is all the more reason we should regularly fast.

Who does the Lord want us to follow, food or him?

If food becomes a habit and we are not able to have control over our intake of it we are serving our bodies more than we are serving the Lord.

If we can’t abstain for one day without food or drink what does that tell us?

That we rely more on the bread of man than the bread of life.

Another test of our faith therefore is to see if we are reliant and obedient to God or our habits. As we see in the definition of habit that it can be considered an addiction.

Addiction – Addict – to surrender oneself habitually or compulsively to something as in caffeine or alcohol. One who is addicted especially to narcotics.

Surrender – to give up control or possession of to another on demand or under compulsion, to give one self over to an emotion, yield.

Compulsive – the act or compelling or state of being compelled, an irresistible impulse to act irrationally.

Compel – to constrain, force.

Irresistible – impossible to resist, highly appealing.

Look at all these words that define a characteristic within the human condition, addiction, surrender, compulsive, irresistible all define man as out of control, lacking will power, unable to regulate ones behavior, actions, thoughts or words.

Do you think Heavenly Father wants us to be addicted to food?

Do you think he wants us to fast as a form of dieting?

Remember he knows the intentions of your heart, if you fast as a form of dieting the purpose or intent if your fast is not acceptable to the Lord.

It may be fine and acceptable to you but not to the Lord fasting for one day, two days even three days when done as a diet accomplishes nothing in the long term.

It takes far longer than one, two or three days to break a habit or addiction.

Heavenly Father does not want us to be addicted to food or drink; he will provide us what we need.

Corinthians 8:8 – we see that food does not bring us any nearer to God. We are no worse if we do not eat and no better if we do.

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Or in this case, you can’t serve the Lord and be a servant to an addiction.

Luke 16:13 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.  
Also, a house divided against itself cannot stand. Mark 3:25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

In Luke 11:17 Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them any kingdom divided against itself will be ruin, and a house divided against itself will fall.

I think it is very clear from these scripture passages that we cannot have two masters – our Lord and our habit and that if we believe we can we will fall or be defeated.

Another purpose of fasting is s test of faith against addiction.

The Lord knows the strength of our faith but do we?

By fasting we become acutely aware of our addictions whether they be; food, drink, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, drugs, medications, vitamins etc.

We are called to abstain from everything as a test of faith, obedience and endurance.

Our bodies will tell us throughout the day if we are habitually putting into it substances which are habit forming.

Our bodies will let us know if it is not receiving something that we habitually put into it.

In most cases this awareness or knowledge of deficit or lack of comes with the price of pain, in other words we get sick.

Our body’s rebel against us and demand that we continue to indulge in our habit or it will become violent and angry against us.

When our bodies rebel, our minds cannot concentrate or focus on anything else but the pain, satisfying or fixing the painful situation. We are then focusing or directing our attention away from the Lord and on to our self.

How can we serve others with love, warmth and kindness when all we can think about is our own pain and suffering?

Fasting is a wake-up call to each and every one of us to see if we can abstain from everything in order to see if any substance we ingest into our bodies has become habit forming, an addiction.

Not only is food and drink for many of us a physical requisite, it is an emotional requisite as well.

Requisite – needed, necessary. A necessity.

Necessity – the quality or state of being.

Necessary – absolutely required, indispensable. Needing to bring about a certain effect or result.

Required – to insist upon, demand, to oblige or compel.

Matthew 16:41 we see that the spirit is willing but the body is week.

Jesus knows our bodies are weak, he asks us to have faith in him.

2 Corinthians 5:7 – We live by faith and not by sight. In 2 Corinthians 12:10 he promises for where you are weak, he will make you strong.

All we have to do to break the chains of addiction as it relates to fasting is prayer to our Lord for strength against the addiction.

Matthew 7:7, 8 – Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. And everyone who asks receives, and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocks it shall be open

Matthew 21:22 – And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

If we are unable or unwilling to fast because of an addiction we can change that by faith, prayer and obedience.

I didn’t find anywhere in the scriptures that spoke on the subject of fasting and prayer however we are called in …

Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – We are called to be joyful always and pray continually.

So even though there is no direct link in the bible to prayer and fasting we know as it is spoken in Philippians to not be anxious, pray about everything and give thanks as we present our request.

Nowhere in the scriptures are commanded to fast, it simply states that fasting was a form of worship and obedience, a true test of faith.

Obedience – obeying or willing to obey a command.

Obey – to carry our instructions of, to comply with (a command).

Command – to give orders to, to rule over. To dominate by position, overlook.

Commandment – an order, command, the Lord demands that we obey his commands and commandments.

Before I get into obedience I would like to look up the word Die, the three main letters in diet – to stop living, expire. To lose vitality or force, subside. To cease existing especially by degrees, fade. To cease operation – stop.

When we diet we eat a regulated selection of foods. We eat according to a prescribed regiment. The three main letters of diet are die and that means to stop living, to lose vitality, to cease existing, to cease operation or stop what we are currently doing.

When we go on a diet a part of us is destined to die, it has to we are altering or reshaping our methodology as it relates to our consumption of food and drink.

When we alter, change or regulate our eating patter (I didn’t say habits) a part of our mind and body detect a lack of or need for the substance we use to consume, we are under the false assumption or belief that in order to continue in our present pattern of life we must consume according to the pattern we have set or laid out.

The difficulty with this is that for most of us we consume too much or too little, we consume the wrong foods improperly combining them to defeat their purpose.

A good book to read on nutrition is “Fit for Life”.

It explains how to regulate your consumption and how to combine your foods so as to maximize their nutritional value to your mind and body. If we are going to change our eating pattern we need the strength of the Lord behind us.

He promises in 2 Corinthians 12:10 – For where you are weak, he will make you strong.

Instead of saying you are placing yourself on a diet, or that you are going to diet or that you are on a diet, say that you are choosing to walk in obedience to the Lord, you have faith in the Lord, you are choosing Jesus over food; you are going to let Jesus control your life and not food. You are choosing to live in faith of the Lord not in faith of food.

Jesus said he is the bread of life and all that follow him will be saved.

When you choose to change your eating habits call on Jesus to be your strength, you can’t do it alone, your spirit may be willing but your flesh is weak. You want to change the way you eat, change the way you love and serve the Lord or begin by loving and serving the Lord.

There is no better way to shed a few pounds than to be in the service of others.

Food may serve your needs; however, we are not here to fulfill our needs but to do the work of the Lord.

You are not a slave to food, our Lord Jesus died on the cross to save us all from sin.

By grace we are saved, by grace we will stand, an eye single to the glory of God.

So when you decide you are going to change your eating pattern, you are no longer alone, you are no longer going to die because Jesus is the bread of life.

John 6:35 he said that Jesus is the bread of life and he who comes to him will never be hungry and never go thirsty.

Life – living organisms as a whole, our ability to grow, carry on metabolism, respond to stimuli and reproduce.

What is the opposite of death or to die – life!

Jesus brings life to each and every one of us, we do not die when we are choosing to alter our eating pattern; we are simply choosing to live a life in Christ.

Matthew 6:25 we read – Do not worry about what you are going to eat or drink, or about your body or what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes. Jesus came to give us life so that those who lose their life for the sake of Jesus will find it. Matthew 15:25. If we really want to change our eating patterns we must deny himself and take up the cross and follow Jesus. Matthew 16:24. in John 14:6 – Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me.

Satan would have us believe we need to go on a diet in order to shed those extra pounds.

Jesus would have us believe we need to pick up our cross daily and follow him, if we do this he promises to make our weaknesses strong.

He is the bread of life.

Faith in Mark 9:23 – Jesus said everything is possible for him who believes.

You say you can’t lose weight, it is medical impossible, you are predisposed to obesity or being overweight., remember the story of when Jesus walked on water and called Peter out to join him telling him he could walk in water, what did Peter do?

Matthew 14:79 – Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind he was afraid and beginning to sink cried out, Lord save me. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “Ye of little faith” he said “Why do you doubt” Don’t you know that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to the mountain, move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20, 21 – All things are possible through Jesus.

It is because of our unbelief and lack of faith that we are unable to move mountains, when we tell our self I can’t, it is too hard or I don’t want to or I won’t what we are really saying is I lack faith in Jesus Christ to strengthen and support me to see me through whatever difficulty I may be experiencing.

Oh ye of little faith, who do you doubt Jesus?

Have you ever truly given yourself 150% over to Jesus?

Are you following his word, praying unceasingly, living a life of absolute obedience to his commands? If you have done this your prayers will be answered.

He has asked us to have “patient endurance” 2 Corinthians 1:6. He will hear our prayer he will never forsake us, he will answer our prayers according to his will, work and purpose for us.

You see he knows us better than we know our self, what we believe we need, want and desire may be different than what God knows we need.
When we are walking with the Lord the Holy Spirit will guide us on what to pray for.
Romans 8:24-27 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

We need to have patient endurance when it comes to answers to prayers.

Heavenly Father will answer our prayers because he searches our hearts and knows what we need.

He then uses the Holy Spirit to guide us in our prayers to him, our prayers to him come from him originally.

Of course he will answer prayers that he manifested through the spirit unto us, all in accordance with his will for us.

When we pray according to our perceived needs, wants and desires the will the Lord may or may not hear our prayers and answer them. He will answer prayers he made known to us through the Holy Spirit.

How do we know if our prayers originate from the Holy Spirit?

I would ask you, are you loving and serving the Lord with all your heart and soul, are you loving your neighbor as yourself, are you living in obedience to his commands and commandments, have you chosen to follow Jesus and made him the bread of your life, are you reading his word, studying it and putting it into action, are you praying continuously throughout your day, are you faithful and do your deeds follow your faith?

If the answer to this is an overwhelming yes then rest assured our Heavenly Father is making his will for you known to you by the counsel of the Holy Spirit and in your prayers.

You will be guided in thought and word or that which you should pray about.

If the answer is no, then you are probably praying to our Lord according to your perceived need, wants and desires.

If the answer is I don’t know or I am not sure then I would suggest you get on your knees and pray for truth, knowledge, wisdom and understanding, our Heavenly Father answers the prayers of those who show obedience to him.

Another work of the Lord

Ephesians 4:12 – To prepare Gods people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and knowledge if the son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Galatians 1:10 – If I were still try to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. When we serve man, we are not serving Christ and when we serve Christ we are in the service of man. Galatians 6:6 – God does not judge by external appearances.

Live by the spirit, fruits of the spirit

Galatians 5:16-26

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 Galatians 6:4, 5 – Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to someone else, for each of us should carry our own lead.

Stop comparing each other, one against another.